The Tall Guy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Tall Guy | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Directed by | Mel Smith (directorial debut) |
| Produced by | London Weekend Television Working Title Films |
| Written by | Richard Curtis |
| Starring | Jeff Goldblum Emma Thompson |
| Cinematography | Adrian Biddle |
| Distributed by | Virgin Vision Miramax |
| Release date(s) | September 21, 1990 (USA) |
| Running time | 92 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | (n/a) |
| IMDb profile | |
The Tall Guy is a 1989 romantic comedy written by Richard Curtis, directed by Mel Smith and produced by London Weekend Television for theatrical release. The farcical yet tender-hearted film stars Jeff Goldblum and Emma Thompson, with costars Rowan Atkinson and Geraldine James.
The title character and narrator is Dexter King (Goldblum), an American actor living and working in London. He is stuck in a career rut as a straight man in a two-man, long-running revue starring (and dominated by) Ron Anderson. Anderson is played by Atkinson, in an egotistic and nasty version of Atkinson's own persona.
Dexter's love life as he approaches his 40th birthday has been mostly a disaster. Chronic allergies prompt him to see a doctor, where he meets and falls quickly in love with Kate (played by Thompson), who works there as a nurse.
Soon after meeting Kate, Dexter is fired by Ron. After growing somewhat desperate for employment, Dexter is given what becomes the title role in a new Royal Shakespeare Company musical about Joseph Merrick the Elephant Man, called Elephant! (an over-the-top production featuring a song called “He’s Packing His Trunk” and ending with the lyric "Somewhere in heaven there's an angel with big ears!"). The couple, who are already living together, are happy that the tough times are over.
Complications ensue as Dexter fails to resist the advances of a married co-star, Cheryl (Kim Thomson). Kate picks up on subtle clues of the affair, and leaves Dexter without further ado.
After seeing a scene in a televised award show that suggests Ron is now dating Kate, Dexter gives up his role in Elephant! to make an impassioned plea to Kate to take him back, and in the end, she does. He also exacts revenge on Ron for all the years of abuse, tying him up in his dressing room and leaving with the door locked, as well as stealing the keys to Ron's car.
[edit] Trivia
- Curtis and Atkinson toured in 1980 in a revue featuring Curtis as Atkinson's straight man.
- Goldblum was cast following a search for "someone like" Jeff Goldblum.
- The most prominent song, Labi Siffre's "It Must Be Love", is performed by Madness.
- The film includes cameo appearances from Melvyn Bragg and Jonathan Ross.
- Tim Barlow who plays Mr. Morrow, the blind man allergic to his guide dog, is actually profoundly deaf
- There are significant differences between the American release of the film and the original version, including cut or replaced scenes and overdubbing of British slang and popular culture references (particularly in the scene featuring John Inman reading the nominees for the theatre awards, where three American actors are named in addition to Ron Anderson, rather than the British actors named in the original). As of March 2007, the original version has not been released on DVD or video in the United States.
[edit] See also
A few years later, Curtis wrote two other romantic comedies which were bigger successes: Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting Hill.
